A Daily Devotional

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The Creator In His Word (#19940317)
by Connie J. Horn

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

Genesis 1:1 is probably the most famous of all Bible verses that deal specifically with special creation: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” But the testimony of God as Creator is not confined to Genesis, and throughout His word, He has testified again and again that “It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3). Let us look at a sampling of such verses:

“I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded . . . For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:12,18).

“For, lo, He that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is His thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is His name” (Amos 4:13). “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

Though some may try to deny His divine ownership and authority, their unbelief cannot alter truth, “for shall the work say of Him that made it, He made me not?” (Isaiah 29:16). In contrast to the unbeliever, “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is” (Psalm 146:5,6). CJH

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The Marvel Of Design (#19940318)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another” (Genesis 43:33).

When creationists calculate the extremely low probability of the chance origin of life, many evolutionists scoff at the calculation, alleging that any one arrangement of the components of a simple, living molecule is just as likely as any other arrangement, so it is no great marvel that the components fell into this particular arrangement.

This is a puerile argument, of course, quite unworthy of the intelligent scientists who use it. There is at best, only a few arrangements that will contain the organized information necessary for reproduction, compared to “zillions” of arrangements with no information at all.

This fact is beautifully illustrated in our text. Why should Joseph’s brothers “marvel” when they were seated in chronological order of birth by a host who (presumably) was entirely unaware of that order? The reason why they marveled was because there are almost 40 million different ways (calculated by multiplying all the numbers, one through eleven, together) in which the eleven brothers could have been seated!

Maybe an evolutionist would not “marvel” that this unique seating arrangement happened by chance, since he somehow believes that far more intricately organized arrangements than this happened by chance to produce our universe and its array of complex systems. Anyone else, however, would immediately have realized this, and so the brothers of Joseph “marvelled one at another.” So also, when we behold the wonders of design in the creation, should we “lift up (our) eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things” (Isaiah 40:26). HMM

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Faith Self Defined (#19940319)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them, and embraced them” (Hebrews 11:13).

Some have struggled with the word faith, desiring a succinct definition of it, but nowhere in Scripture does a working definition of faith appear. In places, however, the Bible gives a rather indirect definition of faith. Keeping in mind that the words belief and faith are translations of the same Greek word, let us look at several such texts.

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist said of Mary, “And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord” (Luke 1:45).

Paul knew that God intended for him to be brought before Caesar and encouraged his shipmates as they were about to be shipwrecked with the words: “Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me” (Acts 27:25).

Speaking of Abraham’s faith that God would give him a son, Paul says that “he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:20,21).

Of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, it is said, “Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised” (Hebrews 11:11).

These verses and the verse in our text give us a working definition of faith. It is, therefore, a firm belief, a conviction, a judgment, that God is both capable and faithful to perform what He has promised, and that there will be such a performance. This kind of faith brings the future into present reality. JDM

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Declaring God's Righteousness (#19940320)
by Connie J. Horn

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” (Romans 3:21,22).

Paul’s “heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel (was), that they might be saved” (Romans 10:1), but Jesus had come “unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11). Because of their rejection of Jesus Christ, Paul said the Jews were “ignorant of God’s righteousness” and went “about to establish their own righteousness,” not submitting themselves unto the righteousness of God (Romans 10:3). The fact is, however, that God has “set forth (Jesus Christ) to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:25). “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4).

Isaiah speaks of the righteousness of the “rod out of the stem of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1). “And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins” (Isaiah 11:5). “I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:6). “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:10,11).

“If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him” (I John 2:29). CJH

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Jesus And The Fact Of Hell (#19940321)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

How can it be that Jesus Christ, who taught so strongly the importance of love and forgiveness, could speak such words as these? Actually, Jesus had more to say about hell and eternal punishment than any other speaker or writer in the Bible. Since He is the Creator (Colossians 1:16), the coming Judge (John 5:22), and the only man who has died and risen permanently from the dead (II Corinthians 5:14,15), we would do well to believe His warnings. He knows whereof He speaks!

Listen to these prophecies, for example: “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:49,50). “If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:47,48). There are other such warnings from Christ, but how can we reconcile such threats of doom with His own nature of love?

The fact is, however, that hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, not for people. The devil has been a rebel against God since the beginning, wanting to be his own god. When people follow the devil in this same rebellious path, rejecting God’s word, they are showing they would be more comfortable with Satan than with Christ in eternity. Therefore Christ, because of His great love, has repeatedly warned them of what is coming, and so should we. “Of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire” (Jude 22,23). HMM

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Let God Be True (#19940322)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar: as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged” (Romans 3:3,4).

Many Christians are so intimidated by the arrogant unbelief of the supposed intellectuals of the world that they either reject or compromise or ignore the difficult teachings of Scripture. This is a grievous mistake, for all of God’s “sayings” are “justified” and He will surely “overcome” all those who presume to “judge” Him and His word.

The only reason to believe in evolution, for example, is the fact that most such intellectuals believe it. There is no real evidence, either in the Bible or in science, for evolution or any other form of unbelief, yet many professed believers in Christ seem to have “loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:43). Therefore they assume that God does not really mean what He says in His word, thereby making faith in His word “without effect.”

God’s truth is not determined, however, by taking a vote, or by the opinions of skeptics, or by metaphysical speculation. It is determined by God Himself, and none other, “for the word of the LORD is right; and all His works are done in truth” (Psalm 33:4).

Therefore, as our text commands: “Let God be true, but every man a liar.” The very criterion of truth is the word of God. It is good to explain God’s word to those open to its truth, but never to explain it away, by some compromising accommodation to current scientism. “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever” (Psalm 119:160). The Lord Jesus confessed, unreservedly: “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17), and so should we. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Types Of Sin (#19940323)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

What is sin? Much is written in Scripture regarding sin, its nature, and effects. This has led to a wealth of discussions on the subject, and many shades of definition based on the numerous Scriptural passages have been offered.

For example: In the Westminster Confession, sin is defined as “any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.”

There are certainly sins of commission. Our text identifies sin as the failure to meet God’s holy standard. Anything short of perfection falls into this category: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (I John 3:4). “There is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12). Thankfully, Christ was the exception to this rule. “And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him is no sin” (I John 3:5).

There are also sins of omission. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

Finally, there is a state of sin inherited through Adam due to his rebellion and the resultant curse. It is an inborn, inbred, indwelling propensity or tendency toward sin. Our very nature is one of sin. “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me” (Romans 7:20,21).

Thankfully, in His grace, God has not left us in this awful state. He has done all that is necessary to restore our fellowship with the holy God. “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21). JDM

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God's Care Of Animals (#19940324)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine” (Psalm 50:11).

This verse occurs immediately following a verse widely quoted by those eulogizing the great riches of the Lord: “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10). In context, however, God was not simply proclaiming His wealth, but rather the value of each individual animal in His creation.

His people had been offering their animal sacrifices as a mere ritual, without considering the intrinsic value of these animals to the God who had given them life. They were not merely items of property, the offering of which constituted monetary gifts to God by their owners. This “covenant with me by sacrifice” (Psalm 50:5) was a sacrifice of life, not of money!

The offering of the shed blood of an innocent animal on an altar was accepted by God as an atonement for the sins of a repentant sinner, but it was of no avail if offered carelessly or presumptuously. In fact, it only added still further to the guilt of the person presenting it. “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6).

But if God was saddened by the careless slaying of animals for sacrifices, what must He think of their wanton slaughter for sport or for other purposes not intended and authorized by their Maker?

Even more seriously, what must be His feelings about those who trivialize or ignore the great sacrifice of His Son, as “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)? “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing?” (Hebrews 10:291. HMM

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The People Said, "amen" (#19940325)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD” (Psalm 106:48).

Many is the speaker who, after he has made some point which he considers especially good, will then say: “And all the people said, ‘Amen’” (meaning “that’s right!”).

It is interesting to note the Biblical examples of such a demonstration. There are sixteen times in which this or a similar statement occurs in the Bible—all in the Old Testament. Twelve of these are found in Deuteronomy 27:14–26 with the people so responding after the pronouncement of a “curse” on those who commit various sins. The last curse is as follows: “Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen” (v.26).

King David described his thanksgiving for the return of the Ark of the Covenant with, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the LORD” (I Chronicles 16:36). When Jerusalem’s wall restoration was being delayed and Nehemiah had to rebuke some of his people for their covetousness threatening God’s judgment on them if they did not repent, then “all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise” (Nehemiah 5:13). After the wall was finished, as Ezra read the Scriptures to the people, “Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen” (Nehemiah 8:6). The final such reference is in our text.

If we follow Biblical precedent, therefore, whenever God’s word is read to a congregation, either in denunciation of sin or thanksgiving for blessing and revival, or simply in praising the Lord for His eternal goodness, it is appropriate for the people to respond with a heartfelt “Amen!” HMM

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Prayer (#19940326)
by John L. Groenlund, Th.D.

“And it came to pass, when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought Him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And He put forth His hand and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him” (Luke 5:12,13).

The Greek language is carefully definitive in its selection of words, making it an excellent vehicle for conveying New Testament truths. For example, there are seven kinds of prayer from seven major Greek words, each with a little different shade of meaning, three of which we will consider here: Deomai and its cognates appear 42 times in the New Testament. They indicate a desperate need, best described in English by the words “beseeching,” “asking,” or “supplicating.” In our verse above, the leper had a very great need, besought Jesus to heal him, and Jesus did. Proseuke, appearing 115 times, expresses the right attitude in prayer: turning ourselves over to God in surrender or consecration. This attitude is essential for effective prayer. In Romans 12:1, Paul beseeches us to present our “bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. . . .” Aiteo, used 74 times, indicates that prayer must be accomplished by a strong desire, as in Philippians 4:6: “Be careful (anxious) for nothing, but . . . by prayer and supplication . . . let your requests be made known unto God.” Aiteo does not express quite the desperation of the leper who “fell on his face, and besought” the Lord to heal him.

It is humbling to realize that in II Corinthians 5:20, Paul uses the word “deomai” to describe the urgency and emotion with which he says “we pray (beg) you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” JLG

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One Of You Shall Betray Me (#19940327)
by Norman P. Spotts, D.D.

“And as they did eat, He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me” (Matthew 26:21).

If the Lord were to appear in a fundamental, Bible believing congregation and dramatically say to pastor and people: “One of you shall betray me,” what would be the immediate response? Anger? Denial? Mutual accusations? Self-proclaimed piety? The disciples of our Lord were faced with just such a startling revelation and reacted in the following three ways: “They were exceeding sorrowful” (Matthew 26:22). What tragedy results when one who has followed the Lord for many years betrays Him. Our hearts should be grieved and very sad over the thought that someone might turn his or her back on the Lord and betray Him. They “looked one on another” (John 13:22; Luke 22:23). The twelve disciples began a mental search of each other, wondering whom it could be. Possibly John thought Peter’s vacillating had caught up with him, while Peter thought John’s love had waned. Perhaps we would know right away in our church whom it would be. It’s probably the one who sits on the other side of the auditorium. “We’ve always suspected him anyway!” Finally, they each said, “Lord, is it I?” (Matthew 26:22). This is undoubtedly the best reaction of all. They stopped looking on others, did a little heart-searching, and realized that the potential for betrayal was within each of them. “If thou, LORD, shoulders mark iniquities, O LORD who shall stand?” (Psalm 130:3).

Judas was the one, yet they all “forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). Thus, each one, in his own way, betrayed the Lord. If we get our eyes off the Lord, we have the potential for betraying Him as well. It caused Judas’ death and Peter’s broken heart. NPS

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Works Of Darkness (#19940328)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).

Some of these works of darkness are enumerated in Romans 13:12,13. “Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, . . . not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.” A Christian is thus to “cast off” all such works of darkness from his or her own life, to “have no fellowship” with those who practice them, and even to openly “reprove them.”

“This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Ephesians 4:17–19). Such works of darkness stem directly from a denial of God as sovereign: “When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, . . . and their foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21). This darkening of the heart is soon followed by a darkening of the life: “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness. . . . Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Romans 1:24,28).

In these days of moral confusion, with attitudes and actions once outlawed by society now being defended and favored (e.g., sexual promiscuity and perversion), and with once-honored attributes now ridiculed (e.g., chastity, spirituality), there are great pressures on Christians to compromise with these works of darkness. God and His standards do not change, however, and He still expects us to shun and reprove them. HMM

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The Old Rugged Cross (#19940329)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

The week before Easter provides us with a special opportunity to ponder the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ and a fuller understanding should bring us to an ever deeper reliance on and identification with Him.

To assist us in examining the work of Christ on the cross, let us use the beloved hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross.” Here we will find its words reflecting a deep and abiding love for Christ and His cross. The next four days we will, in turn, study each of its four verses, but today, note its chorus:

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it some day for a crown.

Our text reminds us that there is no worth in any deed of our own, including even a full adherence to the law of Moses (Galatians 6:12,13). Only through the cross and the salvation by grace made possible by the cross do we have any standing before God. We must cherish the cross, and cling to it! Thus, we can say with Paul, that this “world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”—its sinful allurements and the recognition of men of no value.

“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing” (II Timothy 4:. All our legitimate accomplishments: those true trophies or “crowns of rejoicing” (I Thessalonians 2:19) done in His power and for His glory will be cast before His throne (Revelation 4:10) in recognition of His worth and kingship. His cross made it all possible. So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross. JDM

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On A Hill Far Away (#19940330)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“And He bearing His cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha” (John 19:17).

The Hebrew word Golgotha and the Latin word calvarie actually mean “skull.” The Romans had selected a place of execution outside Jerusalem (Hebrews 13:12) but near the city (John 19:20), near a public highway (Matthew 27:39), and easily visible from some distance away (Mark 15:40). This has led many to speculate that it was on a hill, as in the first verse of the well-loved hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross.”

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, The emblem of suffering and shame; And I love that old cross where the dearest and best For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Truly His cross involved great suffering: “Christ also suffered for us. . . . Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (I Peter 2:21,24). Likewise, it involved great shame: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). But this suffering and shame was not in vain, for as we see in both passages above, it was on our behalf. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

However, God’s dearest and best, indeed God’s “only begotten son” (John 3:16) was slain, not so much for “friends,” but for enemies! A world of lost sinners put Him on the cross. “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. . . . When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Romans 5:8,10). So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross. JDM

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Dark Calvary (#19940331)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45).

The second verse of the grand old hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross,” contains much truth, rich and deep.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, Has a wondrous attraction for me; For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above To bear it to dark Calvary.

The world despises the cross, and the One on the cross. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not” (Isaiah 53:3). But yet, even in His bloodied and broken form, there is a wondrous attraction, for “surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. . . . He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (vv.4,5).

His death substituted for ours. He was the sacrificial “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). This Lamb is none other than God the Son, who willingly “took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: . . . and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7,8).

Remarkably, even God the Father “despised” Him as He hung on the cross, for God is holy, and for our sakes had “made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21). The apex of Christ’s suffering came, as we see in our text, when God the Father separated Himself from His beloved Son, “forsaking” (v.46) Christ to suffer for three hours the awful pangs of hell which we deserved.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross. JDM